4 APRIL THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE 633

Mr Murray appeared on behalf of the Comptroller of Customs and made submissions. Mr Heron appeared on behalf of the distributors and publishers and made submissions.

DECISION OF THE TRIBUNAL

IN decisions No. 745–7 the Tribunal dealt with three earlier issues of this magazine. It said that the treatment of sexual matters made all three clearly unsuitable for younger readers and marginal for adults. Two were allowed restricted circulation and the third declared indecent.

The applicant in the present proceedings submitted that Vol. 3, No. 2 contained material similar to that which the Tribunal identified as the principal reason for its declaring Vol. 2, No. 7 indecent. The material in Vol 3, No. 2 is not, in the view of the Tribunal, as significant within the issue as a whole, nor as injurious in its effect, as that objected to in Vol. 2, No. 7. This present issue is rather to be grouped with the two which the Tribunal, emphasising their marginal character, found tolerable for adult readers.

The Tribunal classifies this issue of Oui as indecent in the hands of persons under the age of 18 years.

R. S. V. SIMPSON, Chairman.

20 March 1974.

No. 800

Decision of the Indecent Publications Tribunal

IN the matter of the Indecent Publications Act 1963, and in the matter of an application by Collins Publishers Ltd. for a decision in respect of the book Last Tango in Paris, by Robert Alley, published by Pan Books Ltd., London.

There was no appearance of the applicant nor of the publishers’ representative in New Zealand. Accordingly no submissions were made.

DECISION OF THE TRIBUNAL

THIS book is described as “based on the film”. It is not the film script as such, but is written in the form of a novel, thus reversing the more usual sequence, novel into film. It is illustrated with a few quite unexceptional stills from the film.

The story tells of a casual affair between a middle-aged American expatriate and a young Frenchwoman who meet by chance in a vacant apartment, and keep returning to it to engage in a fairly frenzied series of sexual encounters. Intertwined with these are their respective lives away from each other; hers trying to decide whether to marry her film-maker fiancé, his trying to exorcise from his mind his wife who has recently committed suicide.

In itself the novel is unremarkable, and the sexual episodes are not given disproportionate treatment. The Tribunal is required to deal only with the book before it, and in terms of its own Act. Its decision is on the merits of the book alone. As the Tribunal has previously stated in its decisions 363–365 (New Zealand Gazette, 21 October 1971) this implies no judgment on the merits or otherwise of the film on which the novel has been based.

The Tribunal classifies this book as not indecent.

R. S. V. SIMPSON, Chairman.

20 March 1974.

No. 801–803

Decision of the Indecent Publications Tribunal

IN the matter of the Indecent Publications Act 1963, and in the matter of an application by Waverley Publishing Co. Ltd. for decisions in respect of the books All About Swinging, published by Melrose Square Publishing Co., a division of Holloway House Publishing Co., California. Sexual Marathon, by Martin Shepard and Marjorie Lee, published by Pinnacle Books, New York. Inside Linda Lovelace, by Linda Lovelace, Published by Oceana Press.

There was no appearance of the applicant nor of the publishers’ representative in New Zealand. Accordingly no submissions were made.

DECISION OF THE TRIBUNAL

(No. 801) All About Swinging

Swinging is a cult of American origin in which men and women whether married or engaged suspend by mutual agreement the exclusive right to sexual intercourse with one another.

The book describes the operations of a select swinging club and also group sex, perversions and other forms of sexual relationships. It is explicit in the descriptive passages of sexual behaviour and its treatment of sex is brutalising and debasing.

The Tribunal classifies this book as indecent.

(No. 802) Sexual Marathon

This book is a report on the group sexual behaviour of eight men and women.

It is unpleasant and depraved and has no redeeming features or honesty of purpose.

The Tribunal classifies this book as indecent.

(No. 803) Inside Linda Lovelace

This paperback is the intimate story of the sexual development and philosophy of Linda Lovelace as related by herself.

The book is written in a manner that offends against the standards of decency the Tribunal must apply. It is a story of degenerate conduct and appears to be written solely for the purpose of inciting prurient interest.

The Tribunal classifies this book as indecent.

R. S. V. SIMPSON, Chairman.

20 March 1974.

Tariff and Development Board Report No. 264—Formaldehyde, Paraformaldehyde, Trioxymethylene

GOVERNMENT has considered the above report and the decision made thereon has been implemented in the following measure:

Import Control Exemption Notice (No. 9) 1974.

J. A. KEAN, Comptroller of Customs.

The Standards Act 1965—Specifications Declared to be Standard Specifications

PURSUANT to section 23 of the Standards Act 1965, the Standards Council, on 22 March 1974, declared the undermentioned specifications to be standard specifications:

Number and Title of Standard Specification Price of Copy (Mailed) $

NZS 4251 : 1974 Code of practice for solid plastering. Metric units …… …… …… 3.80
NZS 4452 : 1974 Construction of underground pipe sewers and drains. Metric units. …… 3.30
NZS 4503 : 1974 Code of practice for the distribution, installation and maintenance of hand operated firefighting equipment for use in buildings. Metric units …… …… …… 1.95
NZS 5801 : 1974 The construction and fitting of machinery guards. Metric units …… …… 2.50
NZS 5901 : — (BS 308 : —) Engineering drawing practice—
Part 1: 1974 (BS 308: Part 1: 1972) General principles. Metric units. (Including Amendment A) …… …… …… 6.70
Part 2: 1974 (BS 308: Part 2: 1972) Dimensioning and tolerancing of size. Metric units. (Including Amendment A) …… …… …… 9.60
Part 3: 1974 (BS 308: Part 3: 1972) Geometrical tolerancing. Metric units. (Including Amendment A) …… …… …… 12.75
NZS 8401 : 1974 Treatment, grading and classification of hides and calfskins. Metric units …… 2.30

Copies of the standard specifications are available from the Standards Association of New Zealand, World Trade Center, 15–23 Sturdee Street (or Private Bag), Wellington 1.

Dated at Wellington this 26th day of March 1974.

G. H. EDWARDS, Director,
Standards Association of New Zealand.

(S.A. 1–114/2/2: 500–507)

The Standards Act 1965—Standard Specifications Revoked

PURSUANT to section 23 of the Standards Act 1965, the Standards Council, on 22 March 1974, revoked the undermentioned standard specifications: